A tense night out at Playland

New Perspectives is to present Playland by Athol Fugard, at Derby Theatre on February 13-14.

This is the regional premiere of the acclaimed South African writer’s play, before it tours the country.

Presented by East Midlands leadingrural touring theatre company, New Perspectives, Playland is one of Fugard’s later works and his most emotionally difficult to write, exploring the possibilities for reconciliation after apartheid in South Africa.

New Perspectives’ artistic director, Jack McNamara, commented: “As a rarely seen work by one of the most important playwrights in world history, an urban environment might have been a more expected route for it.

“However, I passionately believe this is a subject that needs to be brought into the heart of the country, to open up discussions about where fear and intolerance can lead us.

“Playland is not a soapbox show; its picture of society is multifaceted. Yet the world it comes from is very real and frighteningly recent.”

New Year’s Eve. An amusement park. Two strangers meet in the dead of night.

In the heart of rural South Africa, travelling amusement park, Playland, has opened its gates.

With the country in the grips of a brutal apartheid regime, the park promises an evening of thrills and laughter.

Martinus, a black South African, is the amusement park’s night-watchman.

Gideon, a white Afrikaner and ex-serviceman, has come along for a good night out. When they find themselves face to face, their encounter is charged with history and danger.

The cast of Playland is Ben Cutler as Gideon le Roux and David Carr as Martinus Zoeloe.

Tickets to see Playland are £9.50-£25.50. For more information and to book tickets call the box office on 01332 593939 or online at www.derbytheatre.co.uk

n Derby Theatre has announced the appointment of Ruby Glaskin as its new creative producer, a role with specific responsibility to managethe theatre’s In Good Company programme.

In Good Company, through Ruby’s leadership and management of the scheme, will provide mentorship, business support, facilities and high profile performance opportunities for emerging artists, and those currently training in an educationalsetting, and will support them in attempting to establish links with organisations who will contract them and programme their work.

Ruby is an independent producer and theatre maker with a wide range of experience across theatre, dance and live art.

Most recently she produced Walking the Tightrope: The tension between art and politics, for Offstage Theatre, a programme of specially commissioned plays by writers including Caryl Churchill and Mark Ravenhill.

She is co-director of Milk Presents, who performed at Derby Theatre’s DEparture Lounge Festival in 2013, and has produced all of the company’s professional productions to date, alongside participation productions, scratch events and LGBTQ performance symposium Pillow Talk.

Ruby said: “I’m thrilled to be the new creative producer for In Good Company. Having come up through a similar scheme myself, I know what an impact a scheme like this can have. I hope to really inform the programme and allow it to flourish from its promising foundations.

“I’m looking forward to working with all the artists across the three partner venues, developing new opportunities and expanding horizons within, and beyond, the region.

“Taking part in the first DEparture Lounge festival with my company, Milk Presents, showed me what an exciting and enthusiastic environment there is at Derby Theatre and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Sarah Brigham, artistic director at Derby Theatre) added: “I’m absolutely thrilled that we’ll be working with Ruby Glaskin on this project.

“In Good Company is an exciting and ambitious scheme to redefine how we connect with artists across the region.”